My Precious Cherry Blossom
by period
Summary: FINISHED! Everything changes when Sakura's life is in danger,and Sasuke becomes overprotective! Who knew being in love was such a pain? SasuSak
1. Chapter 1: Different

-1Different

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Sakura sat on a bench, waiting for him to come back. She knew she had to apologize to him, for doing something so stupid. But it didn't seem like he was going to come back; she couldn't sense his chakra anywhere nearby. She sighs.

She knew she was in trouble. Any minute now, Kakashi will appear in front of her and tell her she'd done it again. It was always the same. _Any minute now, he'll be here._

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But Kakashi never came. She'd waited for hours, and no sign of either of them was to be seen.

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Finally, after the sun had set, and her surroundings were dark, she decides to head home. Walking down the road she knew too well, she was too busy thinking that she didn't notice the person standing in front of her until she bumped into him.

"Oh!" she gasps.

In front of her was Naruto.

She bites her lower lip nervously. _How am I supposed to explain this without hurting him again?_

She knew she had to say something, but the words wouldn't come out, no matter how hard she tried.

Naruto's eyes seemed dazed; he didn't seem to be paying attention to his surroundings, his mind miles away. He hadn't even realized who was standing in front of him.

Before she could build up the courage to say something, Naruto turns around and walks away.

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It was raining, but Sakura didn't move. She just stood there, and she would have stayed for hours if it wasn't for the guy that showed up behind her.

"Sakura?"

She turns around quickly. She knew that voice…

Sasuke was standing beside her now, his umbrella sheltering both him and Sakura from the rain. His raised eyebrow showed that he wanted to know what she was doing out so late at night, _this _far away from her house.

Sakura could feel the lump in her throat grow larger, and she had to swallow to keep herself from crying. Whispering only one word, she felt a single tear slide down her cheek in regret, "Naruto."

That was all it took for Sasuke to understand what was going on; she'd hurt him again, just like she had so many other times. Instead of saying anything, or comforting her like anyone else would make an attempt to, he leads her down the road to her house, where he knew she'd feel better after sitting with him in private.

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Once inside her house, Sakura sank into the couch, her head resting on her bent knees.

They sat silently for a while, thinking, until Sasuke was brought back to reality by the sounds of someone crying. He knew what came next, and, just like so many other times, Sakura started speaking, "I…I didn't know he was going to take it so seriously. And I didn't even know what I'd done until he suddenly ran off."

He only stared at the coffee table, occasionally looking at her to show he was still listening.

"But this time was different; _he _was different. When I saw him again, his eyes looked distant. I was standing right in front of him, but he didn't even seem to realize who I was." She looks at him with wide eyes. "Sasuke-kun, what if he doesn't get over it this time?"

Sasuke listened more closely now; everything she was saying sounded different from all the other times she had messed up.

Sakura continues in a low voice, almost a whisper, "And today was he turned sixteen. It was his birthday, and I ruined it. I ruined it…" She lays her head down on her knees again. She was done talking now, and usually she felt better after talking to someone about it, but today was different.

"Sakura."

She looks up at him.

"…it wasn't all your fault; he knew what the answer was going to be. He really needs to learn not to hope so much for something he knows isn't going to come true."

"I know, but…I have to do something."

Sasuke nods his head once. "Right. Don't think about it right now; wait until tomorrow."

Sakura takes a deep breath to calm herself. "Okay."

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When Sakura woke up, she wondered why she didn't remember ever getting into bed. Then she smiles. _Maybe I fell asleep on the couch and Sasuke-kun brought me up here. He __**has **__grown nicer over the years._

She walks over to the door and notices that it wasn't closed completely. That proved it; Sasuke _had _brought her upstairs. He always left the doors like this whenever he was in the room.

She sits down on the couch and stares at the opposite wall where a picture of Team 7 hung in the middle of it, taking up most of the wall. She really missed not having anything to worry about in those days.

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A few hours later, a strange noise brought her out of her thoughts, and she realized what it was. The doorbell. She didn't have to answer it though; he walked right in after ringing it only once.

Sakura waits for that person to come into the living room where she was sitting, hearing the almost silent footsteps reach the doorway.

"Sasuke-kun…what're you doing here?"

"I came to take you to Naruto's house."

"Why would you do that, Sasuke-kun? You never liked to get involved with things like these before…"

Sasuke shrugs. "I guess…I don't like it when you two are acting like babbling idiots, but it's better than both of you not talking at all. And this time it's different. Naruto hasn't come here, has he." It was more of a statement that a question, but Sakura still nodded anyway.

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It was quiet on their way to Naruto's house, until Sasuke broke it with, "Sakura, can I ask you something?"

Sakura was surprised. Usually, Sasuke didn't ask permission to ask a question; he just went ahead and asked what he wanted to know. Maybe he was being nice today because of everything that was happening to his team? "Sure."

Sasuke's gaze was focused on the ground in front of him as he asked, "Why do you always reject him?"

"Because…he's just not the right guy."

"And what does that mean?"

"It means: he's not the guy that I like. I'm waiting for that guy to tell me how he feels." She smiles sadly. "But I don't think he feels the same way."

"Why's that?" he asks. He was still looking at the ground.

Sakura shrugs. "Well, for one thing, he's not the type to show his feelings. And it seems that he doesn't like me. Don't ask me how I know that, it's something that I can feel every time he looks at me."

"Anyone I know?"

"Yup. You know him."

Sasuke stays quiet for a minute, thinking. Finally he asks, "Is it Neji?"

Sakura stares at him, surprised. "Of course not! He used to be cute, but he's not the guy that I like. Sasuke-kun? Why are you asking me this?"

Sasuke finally looks at her. Ignoring her last question, he asks, "And why not?"

She shrugs again. "I guess… he's not… what I thought he was."

"I don't get what you're saying."

Sakura laughs sadly and murmurs, "That's because you've never fallen in love, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke scowls. _If only you knew._

"Anyway, how's your mom doing?"

"She's okay. Says she wants you to come over soon."

"Your mom is really nice. She likes it when Naruto-kun and I come over to your house, doesn't she?"

"Yeah."

Sakura looks straight ahead at the house in front of her, her fingers trembling slightly at the thought of what was going to happen next. "We're here."

But…she had Sasuke by her side; she could do this.

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Sakura was standing a little behind Sasuke, afraid to get any closer to Naruto's house. Sasuke sighs, and in one quick movement, he was standing too far away from Sakura to grab onto.

"I said I'd come, but I'm not doing the talking."

Sakura nods. Knocking on the door, she waits nervously for Naruto to open it. When he does, he just stares at them for a while before motioning for them to come in. Sakura sits down on the couch, next to Sasuke. She was nervous, but Sasuke wasn't; as long as they didn't start physically hurting each other, he wasn't going to get into this problem.

She clears her throat. She wanted for them to go back to the way they were; laugh about their problems and then go to Ichiraku's Ramen, where Naruto would always eat more than he could pay for.

"N-Naruto-kun, I wanted to… tell you that, I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't say it right, and I know I hurt your feelings."

Naruto doesn't say anything.

Sakura continues, "I didn't mean to sound like I was mad at you. I only wanted to make it clear to you that I don't like you. I like someone else. And that's not going to change."

Naruto stared at her. He didn't say anything for a while. After a few minutes, he stands up and says, "I understand." Then he walks to the door and holds it open; a sign that he wanted them to leave.

Sasuke stands up and, after noticing that Sakura wasn't going to stand up, decides to pick her up himself. He puts his hand around her arm and lifts her to her feet without effort.

Then he gives her a light push on the back to get her to move toward the door.

After going outside, Sasuke held on to Sakura's arm. She looked like she would collapse any minute.

Sasuke led Sakura to her house. They were almost there when Sakura fainted. He caught her in time; after all, he **was **fast. _Shit. Why did she have to faint now?_

Sasuke carried Sakura the rest of the way to her house and, once inside, laid her down on her bed. He went downstairs to see if she had any medicine in the kitchen, but then decided to wait until she woke up. She would tell him why she had collapsed. But Sasuke already knew. _She's been stressing over this for the past two years, always trying to hide her sadness with laughter and smiles. She's not like any other ordinary girl._

"You worry too much about everyone else, except for yourself, Sakura." He says out loud. He looks at her face and frowns. _Your face has been getting paler these days. What's going on with you?_

Two minutes later, Sakura wakes up. She blinks and looks up at Sasuke. "Where-?"

"You fainted when we were on our way back. I had to carry you here."

Sakura's eyes grow wide. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun. I didn't do it on purpose."

Sasuke nods. "I know."

Sakura smiles. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun." She stands up and says, "I want to go visit your mom. Is that okay?"

Sasuke nods again. He stands up and they both walk to the Uchiha's part of the village.

As they walked through the Uchiha district, Sakura smiled and waved at mostly everyone. They all knew her, and they liked her.

They were almost at Sasuke's house when a boy their age runs up to Sakura and hugs her. She laughs and hugs him back. "Good afternoon, Sechiro-kun!"

He lets go of her and smiles. "Why haven't you been here lately? I haven't seen you in ages!"

Sechiro is a member of the Uchiha clan. He's Sakura's friend, and they like to tease each other whenever they can. Sechiro is really nice to Sakura, and he's one of the strongest ninja in Konoha.

"I've been busy. But I'll come over more often."

"Is that a promise?" he asks, looking hopeful.

Sakura smiles again. "It's a promise."

Sechiro smiles back. "Okay. Well, I have to go, but I'll see you around."

Sakura hugs him and then he takes of.

Sasuke frowns. He felt a little jealous because Sechiro hugged her and she responded. "I think Sechiro likes you."

Sakura looks at Sasuke with a surprised look on her face. "He's my friend, of course he likes me."

"I meant that he really likes you. And not like a friend."

"Huh? I didn't hear what you said, Sasuke-kun."

"Nothing," Sasuke mumbles. After blurting out that statement, he felt stupid. _Why should I tell her that Sechiro likes her?_

Sakura smiles. "We're finally here!"

Sasuke opens the door to his house and holds it open for Sakura. She walks inside and is followed by Sasuke. The door led into the living room, which was furnished with lots of comfy couches, along with a TV and a small table in the middle.

Sasuke led Sakura to the kitchen, where they found Sasuke's mom cooking.

When she saw them, she smiled widely. She walked over to Sakura and gave her a big hug. "Sakura-san, it is so good to see you!"

Sakura smiles back at her. "It's good to see you, too."

Sasuke just stands to the side, unsure of what to do. His mom sees this and grabs him so he could be in the hug too. "Don't worry, sweetie. We didn't forget you."

Sasuke blushes. His mother was hugging him, and worse, he was also partially hugging Sakura.

His mom saw that he was blushing and lets go of them. "Sasuke, are you blushing? That is so cute! It's the first time I've ever seen you blush! Oh, I have to go get the camera!" She runs off and goes upstairs, leaving Sasuke and Sakura alone.

"You were blushing? Why?"

Sasuke doesn't look at her. "I wasn't blushing."

"But I thought your mom said you were blushing."

Sasuke blushes again, and keeps looking at the floor. His long bangs covered most of his face, so Sakura couldn't tell that he was blushing. "I wasn't blushing."

"Oh, okay."

Silence.

Sasuke finally looks at Sakura and says, "I'm going to my room."

He was almost to the door when Sakura says, "Wait! Can I come?"

Sasuke looks straight ahead and says, "Whatever." Then he starts walking again, with Sakura right behind him. They walk upstairs to the room at the end of the hall, Sasuke's room.

Sasuke opens the door and they walk inside. (I'm not good with home styling, so just imagine Sasuke's room however you want it to look) Sasuke's room is **really** big.

He sits down at his desk, which was piled with scrolls from their mission reports. Sakura sits down on Sasuke's bed and looks around. She had already been over to Sasuke's house a thousand times, but this was her first time in Sasuke's room. "Wow, Sasuke-kun! Your room is really big!"

Sasuke looks at her. He shrugs. "It was the only room my mom wanted for me. She didn't like the other rooms, because they didn't have a good view of Konoha."

He stands up and looks out the big balcony. Sakura goes with him and leans over the railing. The view was amazing. You could see all of Konoha, even most of the forest. With the sun setting at an early hour, it set an orangish color over the whole Village. The wind was blowing and it ruffled Sakura's hair. The sent of cherry blossoms drifted over to Sasuke, who felt his face burning up.

"Mom was right; you do like the view."

Sakura looks at Sasuke and says in a happy voice, "The view is beautiful! No wonder your mom wanted you to have this room!"

Sasuke nods. He knew how beautiful the view was, even though he would never have admitted it out loud. He looked back at the Village and sighs. He knew he had to tell her his secret someday.

She looks at him questioningly. "What's the sigh for, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke shakes his head. "It was just a sigh."

"Oh."

She stays quiet for a moment. Then she asks, "Sasuke-kun? Have you ever loved someone other than your parents?"

The sudden question left Sasuke speechless. "What?"

"I said: have you ever loved someone other than your parents?"

"Ah." Sasuke seemed to think for a minute. "Yeah, I did."

Sakura stares at Sasuke. She hadn't expected him to say this. She thought that he would tell her she was crazy, for asking such a stupid question. "Who?"

"A girl," he says, still looking out at the Village. "And I still like her."

Sakura smiles. "Is she pretty?"

"Mmhm."

"Oh… What do you like most about her?" she asks. She was interested in hearing what he would say, although she tried to hide it.

"Hmmm… I guess… I like how she thinks. Although I don't understand why she hasn't noticed that I like her. I thought it was pretty obvious."

Sakura sighs. "I know what you mean. The guy that I like doesn't have a clue about my feelings, even though we spend most of our time together talking. And I really want him to like me."

Sakura stays quiet.

Sasuke notices that she looked sad, so he says, "We should go inside; it's already dark."

Downstairs, Sasuke's mom was setting the table. She looks up and asks, "Sakura-san, would you like to join us for dinner?"

Sakura smiles. "That would be nice. But does Sasuke think it's a good idea?"

Sasuke looks down. "Hn."

Both girls laugh. (by the way, Sasuke's dad is away for a few months)

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After dinner, Sakura and Sasuke started washing the dishes.

"Sasuke-kun? Do you think Naruto-kun will be okay?"

Sasuke stays quiet for a moment. The only noise is the clatter of dishes as they work. Then Sasuke says, "He'll be fine. When we see him tomorrow, he'll probably be the same knuckle-head he's always been."

"I hope so. Naruto-kun isn't the type of guy who can stay quiet too long." She sighs. "I just wish that he'd fall in love with some other girl. Hinata-chan likes him. They're complete opposites, but opposites attract, right? That way, I wouldn't break his heart again. I'm just so stupid."

"You're not stupid," Sasuke blurts out before he could stop himself.

Sakura looks at him, and he looks at her. She felt a little odd, because Sasuke rarely held eye contact with anyone.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Sakura, Sasuke looks away. Sakura takes a deep breath. She had barely noticed that she had been holding her breath.

Both of them didn't look at each other; they were both blushing.

When they finally finished washing and putting away the dishes, Sasuke says, "I'll walk you home."

Sakura nods.

They walk outside and start their way back to Sakura's house. The streets were empty, so Sakura got closer to Sasuke. She didn't like walking down these streets, especially because there was always an older guy who scared Sakura. Sasuke glances sideways at Sakura. He asks, "Something wrong?"

Sakura blushes. She knew ninja's weren't supposed to be scared of anything, but she just couldn't help it. "I… I thought I saw something hiding in the shadows." It wasn't a complete lie, because she knew she _had_seen something.

Sasuke looks at her. "But I don't sense anyone."

"I must be imagining things," she says.

Sasuke was about to say something when someone says in a cold voice, "You're not imagining anything."

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**Please review! Oh yeah, and by the way, before anyone asks, they're sixteen years old in this story! It won't be too long…I don't think it'll even reach five chapters, but we'll see.**


	2. Chapter 2: Don't Go

-1Don't Go

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Sasuke and Sakura turn around quickly to see who had appeared a few feet behind them.

Sasuke glares. He didn't like the ninja standing in front of them.

He glares back at Sasuke and smirks. "Same as always, eh, Uchiha?"

Sasuke clenches his fists. He **really **didn't like this guy, especially because of how he treated him. "What are you doing here?"

The ninja made a fake look of disappointment. "I thought you already knew the answer to that." He turns to Sakura and says, "Maybe the smart kunoichi will know why."

"Don't get her involved in this," Sasuke growled.

Sakura looked scared and worried at the same time. "Wh-who is that?" she asks Sasuke.

He doesn't take his eyes off of the guy as he says, "He's the one who attacked us on one of our missions, remember? The one who almost killed you and Naruto."

Sakura looks at Sasuke with a scared look on her face.

"You mean… the guy who…tried to kill us by… using those weird kunai by almost squishing Naruto and me in that pit?"

Sasuke nods. "That's the one."

The ninja frowns. "Are you two done talking? It's so boring, listening to you talk. It's

more fun to fight… and kill."

Sasuke moves protectively in front of Sakura. These had been the same words the ninja had used the last time they had met. His name was Kensen.

Sakura started to tremble. This guy scared the hell out of her. She still remembered what he had said as she lay in the black pit, with Naruto unconscious next to her. He had told her horrible things, so horrible that she didn't even want to remember.

She almost cried, but held it in; she didn't want Kensen to see how much he had frightened her.

Sasuke got into his fighting position. He didn't want to risk getting attacked by surprise.

"What do you want with us?"

"Oh, this doesn't concern you." He turns his attention to Sakura with a creepy grin on his face. "It's all about this kunoichi and the fox kid."

Sakura's eyes grew wide. "W-what do you want with me and Naruto-kun?"

Kensen shrugs. "I just want to finish what I started." He smiles a creepy smile. "I never got to finish you off."

Sasuke looked like he was about to explode.

Kensen seemed to be enjoying himself. "But I didn't expect you to be here, Uchiha. I'll come back some other time… Until then, kunoichi." And with that, he disappears.

Sasuke turns around to face Sakura and sees that tears were threatening to fall down her cheeks. He just stares at her, not knowing what to do.

She wipes furiously at the tears, but new ones would just come out to replace them. "I'm s-sorry, Sasuke-kun. I'm just so s-scared."

Sasuke nods. He decides to put his arm around her shoulders and leads her all the way to her house.

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Inside the safety of her little home, he sits her down on the couch and sits next to her.

They both stayed quiet for almost half an hour when Sakura gasps and jumps up. Sasuke almost falls off the couch because of the surprise.

Sakura looks at him with a worried look in her eyes. "He- he said that he wanted to… get rid of me…and Naruto-kun. We should go check if he's okay."

Sasuke nods. He had been too worried about her to even remember Naruto. But now that she had said it, he knew they had to tell Naruto. _I just hope it's not too late._

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Once they were at Naruto's house, Sakura rushes in, with Sasuke right behind her. "Naruto-kun! Where are you?"

Naruto comes out of his room with a sleepy look on his face. "Wha-? Sakura-chan? Sasuke?"

Sakura smiles. She runs up to him and hugs him. "You're safe, Naruto-kun!"

When she lets go of him, Sasuke says, "Naruto, you have to watch out for Kensen. He's back, and he said he wants to kill you."

Naruto stared at Sasuke, surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"What I just said. He's here to kill you."

"Oh. You guys don't have to worry; I can protect myself. Besides, I was asleep and you guys woke me up."

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. What time is it?"

"It's almost twelve."

"Oh! Well then, I guess we'd better go. Bye, Naruto-kun!"

She walks towards the door. Sasuke nods his head slightly at Naruto and leaves.

When they were both outside, Sakura asks him, "I think we should inform Tsunade-sama about this."

Sasuke nods.

"She won't get mad. After all, we **are **part of an ANBU squad. She has to listen to what

we have to say."

He nods again.

"Tsunade-sama?"

The Hokage looks up. As usual, she was still engrossed in paperwork. "Sakura-san, what a surprise."

Sakura looked nervous. "Um, well, we need to tell you something… something important."

"Go on."

"It has to do with the mission we had almost two years ago. The guy that attacked and almost killed Naruto-kun and me is here. Kensen is back, and he wants to kill me and Naruto-kun."

Tsunade looked shocked. "You mean, he's here, in Konoha?"

Sakura nods. "Yes, he is."

Tsunade stays quiet for a moment, lost in thought.

Then she says, "I think that the three of you should all stay at Sasuke's house. That way, if he decides to attack, you won't have to face him alone."

Sakura nods. She wasn't nervous anymore. Maybe this could work. "So when should we move in?"

"Pack your stuff. I'll inform Naruto. Understand?"

"Hai!" Both ninja's disappear in a puff of smoke.

**Sakura's House 12: 30 a.m.**

"Sasuke-kun, can you help me with these?"

Sasuke looks down at the four packed bags on the floor. "Do you really need all of this?"

He asks, annoyed, but picks up three of the bags anyway.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura says happily.

"Hn."

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**Sasuke's House **

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Hey Sasuke! About time you got here!"

"Loud mouth." Sasuke says under his breath. Unfortunately, Naruto still hears him.

"What did you say, baka?!" Naruto exclaims.

"Shut up. You'll wake the neighbors."

"You can't tell me what to do!"

Sakura giggles. "Naruto-kun, leave Sasuke-kun alone."

"But Sakura-chan, he started it!"

"No he didn't."

"Yes, he did!"

"Nooo, he didn't."

Sasuke smirks. They were back to their old selves again.

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"Sasuke-kun, may I come in?"

"Hn."

_I guess that's a yes… _Sakura opens the door to Sasuke's room and walks in. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" she says in a happy voice.

Sasuke doesn't say anything. He was lying down, eyes closed, with no shirt on.

"Sasuke-kun? Should I leave…?" She turns around and was about to open the door when Sasuke asks, "What did you want?"

She turns around to look at him. His eyes were still closed. "Oh, um, I just wanted to know if you wanted to go with me to the Hokage's office. You know, to check if there's any information on…Kensen." Her voice quivered slightly when she said his name, and Sasuke noticed.

His eyes flew open and he was out of his bed and at Sakura's side in less than a second.

Sakura gasped, surprised. She wasn't used to Sasuke's fast movements.

Sasuke thought she was scared of him, so he backed away from her and put his hands up.

"Sakura, calm down, I wasn't trying to hurt you."

"No, Sasuke-kun, that's not it." She was surprised; Sasuke looked…hurt? Did she really look like she was scared of him? She didn't mean to hurt him, although it was already strange that he had reacted in that manner. "You just surprised me, that's all."

"Oh." He seemed relieved to hear her say that, but he didn't move closer to her.

Now Sakura was hurt. _Is he mad at me? _"S-Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry, I didn't…"

(how did this story turn into this? What a weird author…oh wait, that's me…)

"No, wait. Don't say that…Sakura, _I'm_ the one who should be saying sorry. I scared you without meaning to." He took a step towards her, this time slowly, not wanting to scare her again.

"Sasuke-kun…" She was about to say something when all of a sudden she starts crying.

"I'm just so scared…I don't know what to do…" she whispered.

Sasuke moved to her side again, not caring if he was moving too fast. He didn't like to see Sakura cry; it made him feel useless. He puts his arms around her tentatively, expecting her to push him away. But she didn't; instead, she leans against his chest, crying onto his shoulder. He tightened his grip on her and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I won't let him hurt you…"

Sakura was always laughing, having fun and taking life as it is. Whenever they were on a mission, she did her part and helped them fight. She was a proud kunoichi. But now she seemed so fragile, so…breakable, Sasuke realized. He loosed his hold on her, afraid he might harm her just by holding her so tight.

He didn't know what to do or say, so he just stood there, holding Sakura and stroking her hair as she cried.

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"Tsunade-sama, you mean you haven't found him?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. I sent out squads to search for him, but not a single trace of him was found."

Sakura and Sasuke were in the Hokage's office, listening to her explain the situation.

"But he's still out there, I know it." Sakura slumped in her chair, too shocked to do anything else.

Sasuke looks at her, afraid she might faint, like she had before after talking with Naruto.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to do much for you and Naruto. The only thing I can do now is to have one of my ninjas keep an eye on you guys. Do you want me to do that?" She asks as she reaches for the phone on her desk.

Sasuke was about to agree, but Sakura thought otherwise.

"No thanks, Tsunade-sama. We don't want anyone else to get involved. They might get hurt, and I don't want that to happen."

Sasuke looks at her. "But Sakura, they can help us."

"I know, but like I said, I don't want to get anyone else involved. This is our problem, and we have to figure it out ourselves. Okay, Sasuke-kun?"

"But…" He sighs. "Alright, we won't get anyone else involved. We'll do this your way, Sakura."

She smiles. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

A figure stood on top of a building, looking down on the village.

"Pretty soon, you'll no longer be alive, kunoichi."

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After a long day of goofing off around the village, mostly at the Hyuga residence, Sakura decided it was time to head back to Sasuke's house. "Naruto, come on, we have to go back. Sasuke-kun doesn't know where we are."

"Sasuke? He probably hasn't even realized we're gone!"

"Hm…maybe. But we should go back either way." She covers her mouth, trying hard not to laugh. "Naru-_kun_."

Naruto blushed. "I already told you not to call me that, Sakura-chan!"

"But Hinata does it."

"Yeah well, how should I know why she call me that?"

Sakura sighs. "You're so clueless, Naruto."

"Whaaaat? But whyyyy?"

"Stop whining. It's not going to work, Naru-_kun_."

"Sakura-chaaaaan!"

Giggling, she reaches for the door, but Sasuke beats her to it, surprising Naruto and Sakura.

After going inside, Naruto heads off to his room with a "G'Night, you guys!", receiving a "Naru-_kun_!" from Sakura.

She yawns. "I think I'm going to my room too. Good night, Sasuke-kun." But before she can close her door, Sasuke stops her.

"I need to talk to you, Sakura."

She closes the door and plops herself on the bed. "So, what'd you wanna talk about?"

"Why'd you go out without telling me? You could've told me where you were going. I was worried for you guys, and now I feel like an idiot."

"But we're fine, Sasuke-kun. You didn't have to worry."

"But why didn't you tell me you two were going out?"

Sakura stands up. "Why are you all worked up about this? It's not like we did anything wrong."

"That doesn't matter."

She looks angrily at him. "But it **does **matter. You're acting like it's your job to know every single thing I do!"

"There has to be _someone_ in this team who thinks straight. You and Naruto act like there's nothing to worry about. Have you already forgotten about Kensen? He's still after you!"

"So what if he is? Naruto and I can take care of ourselves. But you think we're just a couple of idiots who can't even fight! We're ninja, Sasuke-kun!" She was starting to raise her voice(something that happens quite often, huh). "You're acting like you're my **parents**, but you aren't! So stop acting like it!"

Getting yelled at was something Sasuke wasn't used to, which made him raise his voice in anger. Besides, he had been worried sick about her and Naruto, and all she does is tell him to back off? "I'm trying to keep you safe, and this is what I get? You yelling at me like I'm some kind of asshole? You're the worst girl I've ever met!"

"Yeah well, you're the most messed up, inconsiderable guy I have ever met! Get out of my room!"

"What?" Was she seriously kicking him out of his own house?!

"You heard me, GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" she yelled, extremely loud.

Sasuke almost growled, but did what she asked. He **stormed **out of the room and slammed the door closed, almost knocking it off its hinge.

Sakura felt like screaming; did he really have to be so mean? "Ugh, this is the worst!" She throws herself of the bed, lying flat on her back. Placing her arm over her eyes, she sighs. "We haven't fought like this for years. Not since the first time I rejected Naruto and he almost freakin killed himself."

She wipes away at her tears angrily. "Stupid Sasuke-kun," she mutters angrily. "I can take care of myself. I'm not the same weakling I used to be. Why can't he accept that?!"

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Sasuke rushed out of the house, knowing the only way to clear his mind was to go training.

At the training grounds, he punched at dummies like crazy, going at it for hours. It was already dark when he had run out of his house, so now it was way into the middle of the night.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, he looks at his watch (his imaginary one wink wink) and was shocked to see that it was already four in the morning. "Damn, I should probably head back."

He didn't look forward to seeing Sakura that morning. Apologizing was one of the few things the Uchiha wasn't good at. Or rather, he wasn't used to it.

He sighs. "This is so irritating!"

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Sakura had been waiting for Sasuke to come home, but she fell asleep soon after. After all, whenever she got mad, she got tired.

But falling asleep on the living room couch wasn't one of her smartest ideas. It got cold during the night.

She started to shiver in her sleep, but didn't wake up.

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When Sasuke opened the door to his house, what he saw was kind of surprising. Sakura was sleeping on the couch, and by the looks of it, she was cold and about to fall off.

He walks to the closet and brings back a blanket. Resting her lightly back on the couch, he places the blanket over her, careful not to wake her up.

She stirs and mumbles something, then relaxed again. Sasuke caressed her cheek, thinking how much she resembled an angel when she was sleeping.

"I really was being an idiot. You can take care of yourself." He puts his hands down. "I guess I just wanted to think that I could still protect you, like I always did." _This is the only way I can say I'm sorry, Sakura, even if you can't hear me… _"I was being selfish again. I haven't changed, even when I promised I would." He turns around to go to his room, but feels a small tug on his shirt.

"Don't go," she whispers.

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**Finished! Sasuke is really different in this chapter, huh? Poor Sasuke-kun, I'm making him such a mushy person! But that aside, go and review since you're down here anyway!**


	3. Chapter 3: Our Precious Cherry Blossom

-1**Err, it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, I just want to say thanks for the reviews!**

**Anyway, here's a new chapter! You guys DID know this was going to be the last chapter, right? No? Well then, now you do! Thank you guys SO much for reading!! And Sasuke's gonna be a little OOC, and Kakashi too, I guess…**

**Recap: **_"I was being selfish again. I haven't changed, even when I promised I would." He turns around to go to his room, but feels a small tug on his shirt._

"_Don't go," she whispers. _

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Our Precious Cherry Blossom

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Early in the morning, around nine o'clock, Sakura wakes up. _Huh? But why do I feel so warm…? _

She looks down and gasps; then blushes. Sasuke's arm was wound around her waist, and she was resting her whole body on him. _Oh. My. Gosh! I can't believe I asked him to stay with me…But when I asked him, I thought he'd say no for sure. Instead, he just sat down and watched over me until I fell asleep… _Her hand was clasped over her forehead; shaking her head, she tries to remove herself from Sasuke's grasp, but fails. He was holding on tightly, and whenever she tried to remove his arm from around her waist, he only tightened his grip. _And he's still asleep. He must've been really tired yesterd-_

"Yeeeek!" Apparently trying to get Sasuke to let go without waking him wasn't such a good idea. Still asleep, Sasuke pulls Sakura closer to him, if that was even possible; she was stuck to him like superglue. She was already resting on top of him, and now he had her in a **very **uncomfortable position.

Sakura blushed tomato red. Why did Sasuke have to be such a heavy sleeper tonight, of all nights? She had her eyes closed, afraid to open them and see the sight before her. _And just _why _did I have to change into my pajamas tonight? I knew I was going to talk to him, but I _still_ went ahead and changed!_

Opening her eyes, she was right; Sasuke's face was not even two inches away from hers. She was about to shut her eyes again, but decides not to. He looked calm in his sleep, his face smooth, nothing like the always-on-alert expression he always had. _Wow, I've never seen him sleep so peacefully. Actually, I don't think I've _ever _seen him sleep at all. During missions I was always too tired and fell asleep, so I never got the chance._

She sighs. _Might as well get comfortable; it doesn't look like he'll be waking up any time soon. _She rests her head on his chest, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

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Sasuke awoke an hour later, at first puzzled as to why he felt so heavy when he tried to get up. His first reaction to seeing Sakura on top of him was of some fan girl who had somehow broken into his house again (again?!).

He tries to get her off without waking her, but she would clutch his shirt tighter in her sleep every time he moved (sound familiar?).

He sighs in defeat. She looked too cute; he wasn't going to try and move her anymore. Caressing her cheek, he noticed how soft her skin was.

He draws back his hand. "Damn it, Sakura. You should know better than to let your guard down." He _was _a growing teenage male, after all. Hormones came whether he liked it or not. "This is just…too tempting," he whispers. It was taking all of his self-control not to do anything stupid. "Tch. This is stupid. She probably doesn't even _know _how I feel."

Having only her pajamas in between him and her wasn't helping much either. Any man would have caved in to his desired by now. Even the great Uchiha wouldn't be able to hold back much longer.

Sakura stirs in her sleep, mumbling, "Sasuke-kun…" Then settled down again.

Sasuke was about to wake her up, knowing it was the only way to stop himself, but Naruto beat him to it.

He came bouncing out of his room, yelling out, "Good morning, Sakura-chan!"

He had a (really) large smile on his face, but it faded to one of shock when he saw Sakura and Sasuke.

Sakura was rubbing sleepily at her eyes, having been woken up by Naruto's loud 'good morning'.

Sasuke glares at Naruto. "Tch, idiot. You woke her up."

She was still on top of Sasuke, of coarse, and Naruto pointed at Sasuke and yelled, "Baka! What're you doing to Sakura-chan?!"

"Huh?" Sasuke lightly moves Sakura to the side, standing up and walking over to the kitchen. "Does it seem like I did something to her, loud-mouth?"

"OF COARSE IT DOES! She was on top of you, sleeping, and you were awake!" He jabs a finger at Sasuke's chest. "You took advantage of her!"

Drinking a glass of milk, Sasuke says, "Ne, you're acting more stupid than usual. I didn't do anything to her."

Sakura walks into the kitchen. "He's right, Naruto. He didn't do anything to me. I was the one that asked him to stay with me for the night."

"A-All night?!"

"Well, not really. Sasuke-kun came home a few hours ago. I think it was around four in the morning, right, Sasuke-kun?"

He nods. Looking at Naruto, he says, "Hey, dope, stop being so annoying. You're staying here only because the Hokage asked me to let you."

"Yeah, well, go to hell, Sasuke-teme!" and with that, he storms out of the room.

Sakura sighs. "I'll go calm him down…"

Now only Sasuke remained in the kitchen. "That was really close."

Sasuke was off in his own thinking land, so he didn't notice a certain someone's chakra, looking at him through the kitchen window. It was Kensen, of coarse. He still had to kill that damn kunoichi and the blonde loud-mouth. His prey never got away, he made sure of that.

"Uchiha seems to be very…attached to the kunoichi." Kensen smiles, a creepy I-can't-wait-to-kill-you kind of smile. "This can work in my favor."

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"Sasuke-kun, can we go shopping? Please?" Sakura looks hopefully at him, using her charm to make him say yes.

"S-Sure." DAMN HORMONES. Did men fall victim to such women every day? No, as far as he knew, Sakura was the only one who could make him act this way. Oh well, what else could he do about that?

Out in the streets, Sakura and Naruto (now that Naruto wasn't mad) were running to every food display they saw, begging Sasuke to treat them to some late lunch. "You're already living in _my_ house, eating _my _food. Make Naruto pay for it; I've never seen him use any of his money on us."

After treating them to food, Naruto wanted to walk through the park, a shortcut to Sasuke's house. "Hey, doesn't the park seem a little deserted? It's usually busy with people at this hour."

"I kinda like it this way," Sakura skips ahead, laughing at Naruto for tripping and falling over his own feet. She leans down and offers him her hand, smiling when he took it. "Now come on, you can't stay on the floor."

"Heh. Thanks, Sakura-chan."

"Aren't you three a little too relaxed?"

The three of them look up. Standing on top of a tree was Kensen. Sasuke glared, Sakura took a step back, and Naruto almost growled.

Kensen pretended to look hurt. "Aren't you glad to see me? I finally decided to get rid of you; I've already given both of you too much time to live." He jumps, landing three feet away from them. "Now, who wants to be first? Fox boy, or the kunoichi?"

Sasuke glared even harder. No way in _hell_ was he going to let Kensen kill his teammates; his _friends._

Kensen disappears. They look around, waiting for the slightest sound that would give away his whereabouts.

Sakura held out a kunai in front of her, ready for when the time came.

Sasuke activates his Sharingan. Seeing Kensen heading straight at Naruto, he moves to block him.

But Kensen swerves to the right at the last second, changing his target. Sasuke realized this too late.

He had Sakura by the neck, holding her above the ground. He kept her there, while she gripped at his hands, trying to get free. And she almost does, but Kensen hits one of her pressure points, knocking her out.

Sasuke lunged at him, but stops when Kensen holds out Sakura in front of him by the neck. "One twist of my hand, and she's dead. Do you want that to happen, Uchiha?"

"Let her go," he says through greeted teeth. There was nothing he could do; if he attacked Kensen, he would kill Sakura. He wasn't going to let that happen.

Kensen only smiled that same crazy smile of his. "I can't do that. But I have something better. I'll let her go…if you kill fox boy."

Sasuke looks quickly at Naruto. This had to be the _worst _trade he had to make. Sacrifice his best friend for the girl that he loved. What kind of psychotic request was that? But he couldn't let him kill Sakura.

Kensen laughed. It sounded more like a hyena. "Well, which will it be, Uchiha? Don't you want to save this kunoichi? Then kill him. It's as simple as that."

Naruto looks at Sasuke, shocked. What was he going to do? Sakura was in danger, but he would have to sacrifice himself in order to save her. Naruto scowled, irritated. _But even if Sasuke _did _decide to kill me, what guarantee do we have that he'll really let her go?_

Sasuke hated himself right now more than ever. _In order to save Sakura, I have to kill Naruto… Who means more to me? Naruto, or…Sakura? _"Tch. I can't let Sakura die, Naruto."

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Naruto looks at Sasuke carefully. He had never seen Sasuke look so frantic. What was he thinking? _He's not really thinking of…__**killing **__me, is he? I mean, how do we know that Kensen guy won't kill Sakura-chan? _But Sasuke wasn't thinking about that possibility. All he could think of was _how is he supposed to save them both?_

Kensen laughs again. "What'll it be, Uchiha? I admit, it's amusing watching you fret over this, but my patience is wearing out." He looks down at Sakura and runs his finger down her cheek, stopping when he reached the top of her shirt. "It'd be a waste to have to kill her." Sasuke's glare only made Kensen laugh again. "Can't do anything to save her, Uchiha?"

_That's it. _He was going to use Kensen's trick against him. If it worked, he'd get Sakura back; but if it didn't…well, he wasn't going to think about that one.

Naruto was taken by surprise. Maybe it was because he was too confident, or maybe because he thought Sasuke would never even _think _about betraying him, but either way, he was taken by surprise. Sasuke was actually aiming at _him_, running full force he was almost a _blur_. "Sasuke, wait!"

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Opening his eyes, he groans. Damn, why did his body hurt so much? What _did _happen to make him feel this bad, anyway? He couldn't remember--

"Sasuke-kun!"

_Oh…_He knew that voice; it was-- "Sakura."

Finally, he had the sense to look at his surroundings. _Ah. _The hospital. Why was he there, again? "Ow, Sakura, that hurts…"

Sakura lets go of Sasuke instantly, apologizing over and over, and then hugging him again. "Sasuke-kun! Oh, I have to go tell Naruto and Kakashi-sensei! They'll want to know that you finally woke up!"

"Wait-" Damn. She had already run out of the room in search of Naruto and Kakashi. Who was going to explain what was going on?

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"So you don't remember _anything?_ Not even when Sakura was taken captive?"

"Sakura was…" _Why can't I remember anything? The last thing I really __**do **__remember is when we were talking in the kitchen; Naruto got pissed off or something…We went shopping, then cut across the park to get to my house-- _"You mean Kensen? What happened to the bastard?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at his younger pupil (even though they couldn't see it). "You defeated him, of course." He turns to look at Naruto, who was lying, bored, on the floor next to Sasuke's bed. "Naruto, explain what happened."

"Whyyyyy? Just because he was the hero! It's not fair…" Naruto jumps up suddenly, pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke's chest. "Teme! When you get out of the hospital, I'll challenge you!"

"Naruto! Stop yelling at Sasuke-kun and just tell him what happened!"

Naruto sighs. "Fine…You remember when Kensen took Sakura-chan and knocked her unconscious, right? Well, Kensen said that you had to choose: it was either me or Sakura-chan. You thought about it pretty hard, and I thought you'd think of a plan to defeat him and get Sakura-chan back, but you didn't. All you said was, 'I can't let Sakura die, Naruto.' and you throw yourself at me! I really thought you were gonna kill me, teme!" He glared at Sasuke, then laughed. "But you didn't; at the last minute, you turned and took Kensen by surprise. Sakura-chan was already waking up, and so right when you went at him, she broke free from his hold. But Kensen didn't give up then; he was gonna stab Sakura-chan with his katana. Of course, since you're pretty quick, teme, you protected Sakura-chan."

Sakura sat up straight on the windowsill, her eyes cast downward.

"Of course, since you're pretty quick, teme, you protected Sakura-chan. And that's what made you end up in the hospital."

Sasuke nodded. "You said I defeated him; how?"

"Grah, teme, stop making me say everything about your victory! Sakura-chan, **you **tell him!"

"Okay, okay, calm down, Naruto." She takes a deep breath before starting to say, "Sasuke-kun, the moment he stabbed you, you turned around and used Kakashi-sensei's move; the Chidori. Right, Kakashi-sensei?" He nods. "At first we thought it might have been a different jutsu; the Chidori, from what I've read, takes time to prepare. Even with your Sharingan, Sasuke-kun, you couldn't have made it so quickly. But right after you got hit, Naruto and a bunch of ANBU appeared to help you. So it was okay…" Her eyes grow watery, and everyone in the room stayed quiet. Sakura was now sitting on his bed, and she leans over to place a kiss on his forehead. Surprisingly, he doesn't move away, instead looking directly at her while she did it. She blushes. "A-ano, Sasuke-kun…"

On the other side of the room, Kakashi chuckled, dragging a yelling Naruto behind him. Before they were completely out of the room, however, he says, "Naruto. You already know, don't you? You really are better off finding someone who can return your feelings."

Naruto stops fighting. Sighing, he lets Kakashi drag him silently out of the room.

Somehow, Sasuke and Sakura don't even notice that they're alone in the hospital room. They didn't really care, anyway.

Sakura jumps off the bed and stands up, holding both hands behind her back. "Arigatou, Sasuke-kun. For saving me." She leans down to place another kiss on his forehead, when he surprises her, again, by moving so his lips met hers in a kiss.

"Ah, S-Sasuke-kun?" She blushes. _This has __**got **__to be a dream! _She makes to move away, but he places a hand on her cheek to keep her in place. "Um, Sasuke-ku--mmph!" He silences her with another kiss.

Finally letting her go, he murmurs against her lips, "Guys can't seem to keep their hands off of you, can they."

And Sakura couldn't help but smile, as she leaned down to meet his lips in another breathtaking kiss.

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"Kaaaakaaaashiiii-seeenseeeiiii!! Wait uuuuuuup!" Naruto wasn't watching where he was going, so he didn't notice the person standing right in front of him until he ran into her full force, literally knocking both of them off their feet.

"Ow…" Naruto rubs his head and opens his eyes, only to come in contact with two _very _wide purple-but-really-more-light ones. _Hinata?_

"Naruto, how long are you going to stay on top of her? If I didn't know better, I would've thought that you were doing something bad to her, you naughty boy."

Naruto's face turned red, the color reaching all the way to his ears. Shooting up faster than a bullet, he offers Hinata his hand. The moment their hands touched, Naruto thought it odd that, for some strange reason, her hand felt…good. Warm against his own.

"U-Um, N-Naruto-kun?"

"Hai?"

"C-Can you l-let go, please?"

He went ten times redder when he realized that he was still holding her hand. Letting go quickly, he smiles at her and laughs. The only other times he ever felt this nervous was when Sakura was around…weird. _Teme, I'm leaving Sakura-chan to you. And the next time we're in a pick-one-person-and-let-the-other-die-kind-of-situation, you __**better **__pick Sakura-chan! She's our precious cherry blossom!_ "Hey, Hinata-chan, wanna go get some ramen?"

And Kakashi poofing off in the middle of it all didn't even register in Naruto's mind as he led the way to Ichiraku's.

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**Cheesy, yes, I know…**

**I really AM serious; this is the last chapter! I was having a really hard time coming up with something to happen, so I decided to just end it here. Maybe in the future, I'll try making it longer…? There might be some spelling errors, since I didn't even go over it… But anyway, please review!**


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